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#3 Baseball Powers Past UCLA 11-8

LOS ANGELES, Calif. - #3 Arizona State used another big ninth inning to beat UCLA 11-8 at Jackie Robinson Stadium on Sunday afternoon. After scoring five in the ninth on Friday night to win, the Sun Devils scored four times in the ninth on Sunday to secure the victory. With the win, Arizona moves to 37-8, 12-6 in the Pac-10.

The Devils broke out the heavy metal on Sunday as1 0 of the 11 runs Arizona State scored came via the home run. ASU hit a season high six homers, including two by Brett Wallace and two sets of back-to-back homers. Arizona State hit 10 homers on the weekend.

Tommy Rafferty improved his record to 10-0 on the year, throwing the final 4.2 innings of the game. He allowed three runs on seven hits while fanning seven in relief of starter Seth Blair.

For the third straight game UCLA scored in the first inning, scoring once off Blair to take a 1-0 lead. The Sun Devils tied it in the third, when Mike Leake left the yard in left field for his first career home run. They took the lead in the very next at bat, when Raoul Torrez homered down the left field line for his second homer of the year and a 2-1 lead. It was the second time this weekend the Devils went back-to-back; Brett Wallace and Petey Paramore did it on Friday night in the 10-5 win.

Brett Wallace did not want to be left out of the power display in the third, sending his 14th homer of the year over the right field wall with Jason Kipnis aboard to make it 4-1 Devils.

The Bruins drew to within one in the bottom of the fourth, cutting the lead to 4-3. A Marcel Champagnie error at shortstop opened the door for two unearned runs to cross. The Sun Devils would get them back in the fifth, thanks to back-to-back home runs by Jason Kipnis and Brett Wallace. After Andy Workman reach on an error and was moved over by a Ryan Sontag sac bunt, Kipnis took Gavin Brooks deep to right center for his 11th dinger of the year and third of the series. Brett Wallace sent the very next Brooks offering to almost the same spot as Kipnis for his second homer of the day and 15th of the year. That put ASU up 7-3.

The Bruins pulled back to within two at 7-5 thanks to a two-run single by Mickey Weisser in the bottom of the fifth. That chased Seth Blair, who lasted 4.1 innings, allowing five runs, three earned, on seven hits. UCLA evened things up in the bottom of the seventh, scoring two against Tommy Rafferty with two outs.

Arizona State had a chance to break things open in the eighth, loading the bases with only one out, but they failed to push a run across. Raoul Torrez struck out looking for the second out, then Petey Paramore was thrown out trying to steal home on a delayed steal play.

The Bruins squandered their own chance in the bottom half of the inning, leaving the bases loaded against Rafferty.

Arizona State took the lead back in the ninth on a Brett Wallace RBI single to right center that scored Ryan Sontag and made it 8-7. Petey Paramore added some insurance by blasting a three-run shot to right to make it 11-7. It was his sixth of the year, tying his career high.

UCLA added one in the ninth off Rafferty, but were unable to keep the Devils from winning the series.

Brett Wallace went 3-5 with four RBI, including two home runs. The two homers for Wallace give him 38 in his career, tying him with Mitch Jones for eighth on the school's all-time list.

Petey Paramore was 3-4, homering and driving in three. Mike Leake fell a triple short of the cycle, collecting three hits on the afternoon as well. Jason Kipnis had two hits on the day also.

Arizona State was once again without the services of Ike Davis, who was announced as a pinch hitter in the eighth. Davis was taken out for Mike Jones before seeing a pitch. He has not seen action in the past five games.

The Sun Devils now travel to Kansas for a Tuesday night meeting with Kansas State in Manhattan before heading to Wichita for a Wednesday night contest with Wichita State.